NOVEL WEB Chapter 6: Gringotts Vault
"Yes, I've brought it," Hagrid said, rummaging in his pocket as he spoke.
First, he pulled out two dormice and placed them on the counter, then a puffskein. Finally, after searching for a while, he exhaled in relief.
"Found it." Hagrid held up a tiny golden key.
The goblin took the key, examined it carefully, and then handed it back to Hagrid.
"Seems to be in order."
"I also have a letter from Professor Dumbledore himself," Hagrid said nonchalantly, pulling a crumpled letter from his pocket. "It's about the item in Vault 713."
Harry realized Hagrid was talking about something secret, but Hagrid's voice was so loud that he couldn't help overhearing the words "Vault 713's item."
What was this, loudly plotting secrets? Harry found it both funny and exasperating.
The goblin accepted the letter, carefully inspecting the magical seals before reading it thoroughly. Afterward, he nodded and said, "Very well, I'll have someone escort you—Griphook!"
At the goblin's call, another goblin, short and dressed formally, approached them.
"Alright, let's go," Hagrid said, patting Harry on the shoulder to signal him to follow. "We'll get your money first, then take care of business."
"Hey, your animals," the goblin at the counter reminded loudly.
Hagrid suddenly remembered the small creatures still on the desk. He went back to retrieve the dormice and puffskein, which were still bewildered, and stuffed them back into his large pocket before striding off after Griphook.
Harry and Hagrid followed Griphook to a cart, which sped swiftly along the tracks toward the vaults.
The cart moved so fast that the cold air roared past them, making Harry's eyes sting.
Noticing that neither Hagrid nor Griphook was paying attention to him, Harry conjured a small magical shield in front of his face to block the wind.
"Hagrid, do you really think my family left me money?" Harry asked, still worried.
"Don't worry, Harry," Hagrid reassured him with a chuckle. "You're worried about money? Ha! If James knew, he'd—"
Before he could finish, the cart screeched to a halt.
"We've arrived," Griphook said in a businesslike tone.
Hagrid stepped forward and unlocked the vault with the key.
"Wow..."
Harry was dazzled by the piles of gold coins inside. Who would have thought he had such a small fortune buried deep beneath London?
For some reason, the sight made him think of the golden-haired girl he'd met on the train in his first year.
The girl, proud and arrogant, always flaunted her father's wealth and mocked his poverty, often attempting to recruit him as her lackey.
Especially that summer after his second year...
"Oh? What are you doing here? Buying second-hand robes?"
Outside Twilfitt and Tattings, Cassandra Malfoy stood haughtily, looking down her nose at a bashful Harry.
Harry didn't mind her ridicule, though. Compared to the Dursleys, her comments were quite mild.
"Yeah." Harry smiled at the blonde girl. "Are there any here you've worn before?"
At his words, her grey eyes filled with disdain. She turned and left the shop without a word.
That afternoon, he received two used Slytherin robes...
"Harry? Harry?"
Hagrid's voice snapped him back to reality. Hagrid grinned and said, "See? I wasn't lying. Your family left you quite a bit of money."
"Yeah." Harry, still marveling at the wealth, thought to himself that he might even be richer than the Malfoys now.
"These gold coins are called Galleons, the silver ones are Sickles, and the bronze ones are Knuts," Hagrid explained patiently. "Seventeen Sickles make a Galleon, and twenty-nine Knuts make a Sickle. Easy enough, right?"
As he spoke, Hagrid helped Harry stuff coins into his pockets.
Easy enough?
No matter how many times he heard it, Harry couldn't help but complain internally about the wizarding currency system.
When would the wizarding world learn from Muggles and reform their currency system? Even a tradition-bound place like Britain had ditched its old system in 1971.
"Alright, this should last you two terms. The rest will stay safe here," Hagrid said, packing Harry's pockets with coins before turning to Griphook. "Now take us to Vault 713, but can you slow the cart down a bit?"
"There's only one speed," Griphook replied curtly.
Hagrid shrugged at Harry helplessly. Harry didn't mind, though, as he had his mini magical shield.
The door to Vault 713 had no keyhole, something Harry noticed immediately.
"Step back," Griphook said solemnly, extending a long finger to tap the door lightly. The door melted away piece by piece.
"Only Gringotts goblins should do this," Griphook warned. "Unless you want to be sucked into the door and never come out."
The vault was bound to hold something incredibly valuable, Harry thought as he watched Griphook and Hagrid enter. Moments later, they emerged.
Instantly, Harry felt a strong surge of ancient magical energy emanating from the item Hagrid was carrying.
He regretted not going in to see it for himself. He could feel that the item had something to do with ancient magic, which couldn't be used before the age of fifteen—only sensed.
His intuition told him that the item could bypass the age restriction.
"What is that?" Harry asked, trying to sound like an inquisitive eleven-year-old.
"Oh, no, Harry, I can't tell you that," Hagrid said hastily. "It's a task Professor Dumbledore gave me, to deliver it to Hogwarts—well, he strictly forbade me from talking about it. Sorry, lad."
"That's alright," Harry said, nodding in understanding. If it was a secret, he couldn't press Hagrid for details.
Besides, Hagrid had already become a friend in his heart, a towering and kind presence.
And Hagrid's earlier unfinished sentence had given him a clue.
Since it was going to Hogwarts, he'd have plenty of chances to study it after term started.
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